St. Ambrosius

Beneath the Jakarta sun, the St. Ambrosius Church stands as a testament to faith and community. It’s a relatively young parish, officially established in 2017. But the roots of the St. Ambrosius community stretch back much further, to the late 1970s. Back then, Serpong was a different world, dominated by rubber plantations. Father Fransiskus Xaverius Tan Soe Ie, SJ, from the St. Maria Hati Tak Bernoda Parish in Tangerang, saw the need for a Catholic presence in this growing area. He began by establishing a sub-parish, reaching out to the scattered Catholic families and soldiers stationed at the Arhanud air defense base. The early community, just a handful of families, met in homes and at the base, nurturing their faith amidst the rubber trees. The 1980s brought change. The Villa Melati Mas housing development began to rise, bringing with it an influx of new Catholic families. The community grew, holding mass at the local Strada School in Block F of Villa Melati Mas. The dream of a dedicated church building took shape in 1990 when land was designated for a church in Block P. A building committee was formed, but various obstacles delayed construction. The St. Monika Church in Bumi Serpong Damai became a priority, further postponing the Villa Melati Mas project. Finally, in 2006, the St. Monika Parish committed to building the church. Additional land was acquired, and in 2009, the cornerstone of St. Ambrosius was laid. Six years later, the church was completed. Bishop Ignatius Suharyo blessed the newly built St. Ambrosius Church in 2015, and the community rejoiced. The journey from a small group of faithful meeting among rubber trees to a thriving parish with its own church is a story of perseverance. The St. Ambrosius Church serves as a reminder of the power of faith and the importance of community.